The artist and rejection

Rejection and the artist are two things that go hand in hand. As an artist, in order to have your work seen and appreciated, requires that you put your self “out there”. This means you submit your artwork to exhibitions, galleries, residencies, grants, prizes, etc. The fact of the matter is that you will be unsuccessful or rejected in these endeavors most of the time. From my own personal experience for every ten applications I send out I usually get one letter of acceptance. There is nothing worse than receiving a letter in the mail, with one thin rejection letter inside. It is disappointing, but try not to let it discourage you and these are the reasons why…

1. It is very competitive out there and you don’t know who you are up against. It could be your old college professor or another very well respected artist that “won” the prize you so desperately wanted.
2. Your work may not have been the right fit, for the program, exhibition, or residency you were applying to. When curating exhibitions or awarding grants, juries are often looking for variety. Your work may have simply not fit the mix.
3. In tough economic times the sheer volume increases, especially in granting. When times are lean, there are more applicants. This boils down to math and statistics, the probability of you “winning” simply decreases.
4. Your work is good. This is the last and the most important point. When I started working as a professional painter I believed my work was good. Ten years later looking back, it is not surprising that I did not get into every show and gallery I approached. This is because although there was “something there”, as one gallery owner once told me, I was still developing my voice as an artist. I needed to work from that place to develop and grow into the artist I am today.

Now I get accepted to more exhibitions then I did back then, but I still get my fair share of thin rejection letters in the mail. You are the one person who needs to believe in the strength of your work, because at certain points in your career you maybe the only one in the world who does. If I had listened to the criticism back then, I would not be painting today. Besides, the best stories are made from those that have tried and failed, this makes for a great story when you finally do succeed. Hang in there, keep working, and know that these talents were given to you to share.